I live on a 256kbps connection, because the 2MBPS ones have a download limit of 8GB/month. After that it’s Rs 1/MB. Companies which provide 8MBPS lines do not lay wire in my area. I live in the capital of India.
8MBPS connections have a download limit of 4 GB. FOUR GIGABYTES. How fast do you think you’ll go through 4 GBs on a 8MBPS line? And at what price? You can buy a Tata Nano with the yearly expense of a 8MBPS line.
Where is the 3G we were promised? Where is the cheap broadband? I hear companies are pouring money into providing high speed broadband (as opposed to what?) lines to villages in India. I would be grateful if someone provides “real” broadband to Indian cities.
I’m particularly pissed at flash video players. Let’s make the Youtube player the standard for other sites. Many people outside India might not have noticed, but over here here’s how we watch Youtube videos.
- We open the video page.
- The video starts downloading (it’s 256kbps after all)
- We PAUSE the video and let it buffer till it can buffer no more.
- Now we press PLAY.
- #FML
There are some players which do not buffer when you press pause. There are players who DO buffer, but when you want to watch the video again, they buffer AGAIN. The developers of these players need to be kicked in the junk. Twice. Don’t they know bandwidth here is more precious than Unobtainium?
Who exactly is sitting on all the bandwidth? Is this 1995? Lookey here what the other countries are surfing at: Chart of broadband speed, penetration, and price.
What’s your broadband story? Are you happy? Have you found a better option? Let’s hear it in the comments
Announcement: The results for the Comic Competition are out. Check out the winning entries on the Fly You Fools Blog: Winners 1, Winner 2
(55 votes, average: 3.84 out of 5)
Loading ...
I’m using Tata’s WiMax in Bangalore. 512kbps unlimited download scheme, and it’s god enough, as long as I’m the only one using it. If my roommates also using it then it’s just shot.. too slow, especially for multimedia
HAHA! Video buffering on youporn can be the worst torture EVER!
On an other note, your comics has become like the “broadband”. How much longer will be be till the next piece? 2 weeks? 2 months? 2 years?
Kindly wreck vengeance.
I’m on an AirTel 2MBPS plan, at about 2500 per month. The speed is very good, about 250, and works well on Youtube and youporn (\m/). I do think it’s a little expensive. I don’t mind paying the same amount for an 8MBPS.
People who stream Rick Astley videos over 256K do not deserve any better !Ha ha ha !!
But the excitement of anticipation while the video buffers.. priceless.!
*btw all your crying characters have simultaneous tear-streams,no? Bubu and this mataji too*
and yes, I suffer from a slow wireless broadband connection too.. but that’s because I live in a village pretending to be a city.. Jai Reliance!
My folks have a shitty overpriced internet connection, but i thought that was because they decided to move to a village in the middle of nowhere.
I remember having airtel when we lived in delhi, 512 kbps i think. was decent.
I have a 2mbps connection here, mostly because my roommate agrees that viewing porn should not be an ordeal, you need continuity, no pauses, it’s scary with pauses.
but that aside, nice comic. Will there be an immediate sequel (like he pops into the loo and becomes captain broadband) ?
or is this just a set up and intro story for a future character?
finally: shouldn’t the practical moral police intervene?
I had a 2 mbps (MBPS = mbps) connection while in India and was loving it over my earlier 56 kbps dial-up. Now I am in the US of A with a 100 Mbps (Megabytes!) unlimited and still some videos need the buffering: People never get happy
btw is there a sequel/prequel to this comic?
I got the Broadband connection back in 2003. That time, the speed I got was 256 kbps, unlimited. 6 years have passed, but that still hasn’t changed. In addition to the fact that any broadband connection that has a decent bandwidth comes with a “limited download only” clause, all major players have started incorporating the ridiculous fair usage policy to all their plans!
I have a 512kbps sarkaari BSNL connection, and in my experience with ISPs, BSNL at least gives what they promise. 512kbps = 64KBps download which I get at any given time in the day. Can’t say the same about Airtel, very shifty speeds even in their 2MBps plans. My connection costs 1350 a month and its unlimited download of course. I even stream football matches, albeit average video quality ones, and I must agree that we need a little more bandwidth for HQ streaming.
Lol! Kickass comic!
Hi Saad,
Yeah im actually happy with my net speed – altho the price im paying for it is ridiculous. you shud try it out
its Tataindicom – some plan – unlimited download – 256kbs in the day – 1.5mbps at nights and on sundays (thats all I need coz in the day I’m at work anyway). it costs me 1300 p.m.
lemme know if you find a better plan!
I’m craving for more and I’m always disappointed by the ISPs.
On a 2MBPS BSNL connection with 5 GB limit for Rs.1000/- p.m. with night unlimited.
But what I need is atleast 2mbps unlimited line.
Ha ha! Excellent! Another fantastic comic! Broadband sounds rotten in India though I must say..
Right Said. Go anywhere in India, buy any ISP and the experience is same. As they say, you can change the road to destiny, but you can not change the destiny itself. I think, telcos are compensating the lower mobile by overcharging the net. As far as 3G is concerned, forget it till mid 2011. What can you expect from people (read Raja) who have secretaries printing their mails and giving a hard copy. Or does he have an email ID??
You speak the truth, my friend. I would have to start downloading Youtube videos three hours before leaving work for the evening just so we’d have something to watch at home that night.
@balu: Yeah, I have a 256 unlimited and it’s the same. Problem is websites on the Internet have moved on from being 256/512 friendly. And I don’t blame them.
@sreeyesh: This must be a universal problem, otherwise how would you explain the large amount of photo porn on the interwebs? Not that I have seen it, I heard it from friends….
@kartikey: Let’s hope Captain BB has future adventures when 3G launches.
@ad1t4a: Some watch Rick Astley willingly, but most have Rick Astley forced upon them.
@shantanu: Yes. All my characters have opaque blue inner beveled tears
@xacarob: Well Captain BB has the potential of becoming the first Indian Superhero with mass appeal but I only have this pose for him. And he’s always smiling (even when his mother sheds opaque inner bevelled blue tears). So it’ll have to be happy adventures only…
But yes, the Moral police has not intervened for a long time. Let’s bring them back… and by let’s bring them back I mean, I’ll do it.
@varun: “Some videos still need buffering”? Why not download torrents of your porn instead of watching HD stuff?
@iddy: I got my 256kbps line about 8 years ago. I still have it. Yes, F.Our.L
@vaibhav: Yes, it’s true. BSNL gives what it says. That’s why I still have BSNL/MTNL for the last 8 years. Problem is, the BROADer bands are too expensive. It would be hearbreaking if they didn’t deliever even the promised 256kbps
@purvapar, aravind: See the problem with the “night plans” is that you have to manually switch off/reset the router at that time. This happens in MTNL at least. Otherwise your night connection gets billed. When you’re downloading multiple GBs/week you can’t afford to get billed @Rs1/MB. That would fuck you up real bad.
@sam: It is.
@sachin: Some govt dude does cannot use email. This surprises you? And this guy is in charge or whatever of telecom. This surprises you too? You are easily surprised my frand.
@delhiStruggle: That would be a good strategy only if the connection didn’t reset abruptly every few hours. When you get back home in the evening, you’ll find 4 buffering animations.
Watching porn streams using Indian-Broadband has its ups and downs…
Atleast you people have 256kbps broadband provider in your area
I’ve to stuck with BSNL EVDO which sometime become a nice 512kbps connection and soemtimes become a 56kbps connection . Plus I’ve to dance with USB Dongle to get max signal strength 
btw Airtel does offer an unlimited 2 MBPS plan which I use. but ya…the idea of waiting for youtube videos to load is truly mind numbing…its the reason aliens don’t land here…there’s virtually no connectivity
But wait. Are you saying that PAPAJI IS DEAD???
Very good. A hammer on ISP providers.
great comic…i totally agree with you…i too have the 256kbps unlimited(thankfully) plan… but simply hate to watch videos…i simply download them and watch later…
A clarification: This comic is from another universe where Papaji is dead. In our universe he is alive and whining. DO NOT PANIC!
http://www.businessweek.com/the_thread/techbeat/archives/2009/10/finland_broadba.html
In an alternate universe, 1Mbps is part of the UN Charter as well.
This comic would have been much better in all Bollywood-style-hindi.
I try to keep it in English, but yes it would’ve been great in that. Also in TV serial style special effects and camera pannings.
the whole world or to say the developed world are running in more than 10Mbps. we Indians here r running in crap..512Kbps. and we quite a lot for that shit. also.
ISP’s suck they should flush there head.
isps need some solid competition as happened with mobile prices then only those idiots give more speed to customers
Very True. Irrespective of the service you buy, the speed alwats remains the one competing with bullock cart. Bufferring is such a pain.
I use a supposedly “unlimited” broadband-256kbps at Rs 381 per month. I barely use in evenings to surf net or blog or play farmville, the speed puts my local turtle to shame!
Sigh…
I by the way am using the local mafia services [hee hee] wishnet broadband.
All I can wish is that if they are little more prompt in service and speed. It would not hurt. If they are half the fast in their service as they are in collections, my broadband exo may change:)
Before you pan india for its tardy broadband rates/speeds:
http://www.att.com/gen/general?pid=11575
only difference being the lack of download limits.
that is for dallas, texas.
it’s worse due to the fact that after years of business they’ve divided the metroplex amongst them, so that the place i’m in now, i can only get at&t.
shitty service?
no problem.
just suck it up.
100 mbps? at home. dude.
@saad: yay!
Not as good as usual. BTW, you should start letting your fans become characters in your comics. How bout letting us upload our own photographs?
BSNL – Dosnt work in my area
Tata Wimax – Breaks down once a week or once in 2 weeks
… so i bought .. Photon Plus … the horror .. the horror !!
I have the 512 KBps unlimited connection from Airtel, costin 1100, and consider it as descent enough, with untroubled connectivity.
But, let alone I agree streaming videos on net, is the exact same steps as you listed. Sites like dailymotion, which starts streaming once it completes over, is a Pain in A**.
I only could wish those 4 MB + connections I had when I was out of India…. people used to download a movie, and see and delete it, saying that they can always download it back in minutes…. here i consider everything downloaded as a relic piece, often piling up my hard drive out of no space
@darshan: Allow people to send in other people’s photo is a legal/ethical nightmare. At least with my own photos I know owns the photos. If you are cool with YOUR photos [of you/shot by you] being used, feel free to send them in
Always need more characters.
@rafiq: Exactly. EXACTLY. You feel the pain I do. I too have these relics…
That’s twice I’ve read ‘Unobtanium’ in a day. Woo hooo!
Well done, saar. Ma’s fury look was devastating. Kick-ass, like to say mins.
Heheheehee. And one cannot forget beautiful detailing like ‘Never gonna give you up…’ and triple exclamations for buffering 3:26. Classic common man angst.
Hehe! Awesome Comic as always!
I recently upgraded to 1MBPS Plan on my BSNL connection and I can finally watch youtube videos without any buffering time
to all those who have struggle with buffering “muhahaha”
@hitesh: DAMN YOU!!! WE ALL DIE ONE DAY! Don’t forget that!!!! X(
Just because we have 256kbps does not mean we’re sub-humans!!
Strange. I use an Airtel 1 Mbps connection in Chennai (Rs. 1499 p.m) and I can watch youtube videos without the need to pause and buffer.
Hillarious!
#FML?
@aditya: Fuck My Life
There’s a site and everything
Captain Broadband must follow the footsteps of DoCoMo San and break the cartel monopoly system if 8Mbps connections are to be made available in unlimited plans. Interestingly some like Reliance do claim to be unlimited but with a tiny asterix that states FAIR USAGE CLAUSE: ONLY 10 (OR WHATEVER THE AMNT) Gb DOWNLOAD PER MONTH …..Fair Usage my foot….
I had to refresh 7 times for this page to come up… :C
I study at IIT-B i usually get download speeds of around 4MBPS yeah MBPS not mbps.. lifes good…
#parth: One day you will pass out.
I will come and mock you on your convocation day… Welcome to the rest of the world, it sucks
i think deepika has the answer to your problem.
(bsnl 3g is supposedly THE thing)
@shyam: Yeah that… Have an Airtel phone and Garuda sounds like something you cough up after a wild night out. Or is it Magic Dolphin or something?
I use a 192 kbps connection, which by God’s grace gives me a measly 20 kb/s download speed. Torrent take 13 hours and as for you tube videos? I just download them, it’s easier than buffering
I still dream of the day when movie can be downloaded in a second. I guess my grandson’s will see it.
Good comic
Simply hilarious. Was having an office discussion about the same thing today. Crappy ISPs in India.
Love the comic. Looking forward for more. Cheers!
haha same situation over here. I use an upto 2mbps line with a minimum guarantee of 256 kbps and it never goes beyond the minimum even at 4 in the morning. Stop buffering so much u guys.. talk about fair usage policy.. hahahah
Your guys are really spoilt brats ,Complaining over the speeds
I have Firefox and using Net over mobile connection and its very usable
when you block all the images … Earlier had Airtel 512Kbps , and boy was it fast
@mataHari: Well you see the thing about the websites in 2010… they have nice graphics
I like shiny graphics and occasionally the videos.
If I strip off Windows from my computer and run DOS. It would be blazingly faster that what it is right now…
But about the mobile connection. I used to run torrents on my phone (Windows Mobile) and got about 4-5 GBs per month. Although it drains the battery like crazy and makes your mobile a landline. But was free.
my mobile youtube app buffers without a pause. using airtel gprs. nokia E71. but then the mobile videos are compressed for small screen
I am using BSNL EVDO. It is unlimited plan with Rs. 650 pm, but now they hv hiked the rates to 999 pm.
Max Speed promised is 2.1 Mbps. Some say it is unofficial 3G. Biggest advantage however is free all India roaming. No auto disconnection is added advantage.
hi i’m using airtel broadband 8 mbps speed with 50 gb download limit, and Rs. 0.40 per mb after that for Rs. 2999. Seems pretty reasonable to me … Tata’s laying a broadband connection in my complex in calcutta and they’re offering an “upto” speed of 100 MBPS !!! and at not too unreasonable a rate too … if i’m guessin correctly its less than 4500 per month, with a download limit of 10 GB (now that sucks)
I run a 384kbps Tata Indicom connection. Runs fairly decent. On all days it doesn’t rain. I live in Kerala. #FML
Worse is the tech support offered by the company. Linking to a conversation I had with one of their customer care executives/call center monkeys http://3.ly/q2Ty
The old monk sat on my face and sprouted a Pepsi can from his eye.
I run a Tata Indicom 384 Kbps line. Runs fairly decent. On all days except when it rains. I live in Kerala. #FML
Worse are the customer care execs/call center monkeys they employ. Linked to one of the many conversations/voluntary-eye-jabbing-sessions I’ve had with them.
Definitely dude! ISP’s in india suck. Wish CB can block them off!! (-_-)
hehe… Internet Grannys!
256 KBPS here as well
and why do those idiots claims it to be KBps when its kbps!
First-time commenter. Love the comic, hate its sporadic nature. As to today’s – We want a sequel!
And I have an Airtel 2mbps plan, works out to about 250-260 kB/s torrent speeds. Good enough, I think.
I have the Airtel 512-unlimited plan 60 to 70 kbps download speed. The caps on bandwidth are a real pain. I hate it I say, HATE IT!
Today’s broadband is better. My company had a auto logout website we had to use. I’ve used a net connection so slow that the website used to auto-logout before the page loaded! #FML
Few days back I had to use a limited connection for a week and I just got fucked up while saving downloading bits. Regarding the speeds – 256 kbps unlimited and 512 kbps limited, both works around 150 kbps.
ya i no india has some bad broadband schemes bdut there are some isps who give superb services…
i have 2mb day n 4 mb night plan n its unlimited download @ rs 900
hehe
i download 16 gb every night n sometimes my speed increases to 28mb n then i get download speed of 3.5 mb =D add me on orkut if u want
search for prince varun on orkut
n varun barve on facebook
@prince varun: Is this one of those plans where you have to manually turn the router off/on to switch to night tariff? Otherwise all your night downloads get billed?
Which service? I can’t get Airtel where I live..
OMG! Are you really a Prince?? :O
This might have been accurate as recently as 2005 but doesn’t make sense now. Broadband is here, indeed pricier than in developed nations but not absurd 90s-esque leased line rates either. It’s well within the reach of most consumers even call center workers. If you really value the internet pay up. You can’t compare it with television really; even if the downloading of pornography is the sole purpose of an internet connection the sheer volume of content available makes it worth very dime.
@Saad I would recommend the reliance netconnect broadband+ plan for you. 15GB ~3mbps Rs.1200/1800/mo.
Tata Indicom offers 100mbps residential connections for about Rs.20,000/mo within Mumbai I believe.
And while we catch up with the US; Japan, Hong Kong & Sweden are rolling out 1gbps residential connections. Facepalm…
PS: There are sound economic reasons as to why bandwidth is so fucking expensive in India. It can’t be helped the way things are now.
@srinivasan: I’ve heard nothing but bad words about Reliance/Tata internet thingys. All I’m saying is something like a 2mbps unlimited should not cost more than Rs1000/1500… most people would be happy with that (I would). For premimum users/heavy duty porners/gamers.. well they can get 8MBPS if they want and are willing to pay.
But 256 for a starting connection? It’s just painful. And not just for porners.
@saad I had the reliance netconnect stuff and reliance as a service provider in any field sucks (atleast per my experience). Thus surrendered it and got a Tata Photon Plus and thats definitely working fine.
I download a lot of american and british television shows. Currently have an 8 MBPS line with 50 GB free download for Rs. 2999 which i think is very reasonable.
As long as the internet connection speed goes I’m still waiting (patiently) to experience the same I used to back in 2005 in US. We Indians are known for our patience, aren’t we? If I could kick some ‘backs’ – I’d have made sure, those were the last ones they experienced! Grrrr……
The ‘unlimited’ plans have ‘unlimited’ means to keep you ‘limited’. Period.
@Author and Sabbah Haji
Just out of curiousity, was Unobtanium from Avatar or TV Tropes?
I’m using the reliance thing now and it works very well in my apartment. Indeed there are patches throughout the city where it doesn’t work well, it’s really hit or miss; if it does work you get full 3mbps as advertised. It’s because of network coverage issues and proximity to the nearest tower. I suggest trying someone else’s card in the location(s) you intend to use it the most and if it works you can definitely go ahead and buy it.
fyf rocks..
this d/load limit is fuloshit
maybe they cud cross-sell usbs, ahrd disks, etc with unltd d/loads.
Guys,
Stream all your videos in office and watch it at home.
PS: Only if u get a company laptop.
haha..Awesome dude..awesome
This is a spam comment.
BSNL EVDO! 2MBPS USB Wireless! Unlimited Download! Only Rs 650/- pm!
Yazooooo!
I know what you have been through and tend to agree that broadband internet as a whole is a bastardized concept in India. There have been promotions that have claimed broadband schemes to be 115 kbps (bits)!!!
I,however, have been blessed. I made a decision to use YouTele (previously Iqara) and havent looked back. I started with a 256 night unlimited and soon moved to a 24 hour unlimited plan. Internet prices have definitely fallen. I now use a 1 mbps plan from YT that is exceptional. I get close to 110-120 kbps (bytes) while downloading and find my data transfer in a month to exceed 200 gb
And I end up paying 1400 a month – a steal!
HI I am regular visitor of your website. i request it to make it more easily navigable!!!
Like this one http://www.phdcomics.com/comics.php
Saad,
Here in korea, i download full movies in 5 mins. In india on Tata broadband i had to keep it whole night. the cost is around Rs15000 for 30Mbps. And no limit. I just enjoy here in korea for downloads.
India is so backward and its really shame on the ISPs and the government.
dear all who want fast broadband to download movies/tv shows – you’re getting it free, ffs at least have the patience to wait for it!
Though I’m in absolute love with my 15Mbps connection, it absolutely hurts me to see my fellow brethren in so much pain.
I experience videos on my “broadband” exactly the same way !!!
great job
Good stuff. Anyone who says broadband in india is ‘good enough’ is a moron. I have a 512kbps connection myself and it’s a pain. You have to literally plan downloads around it.
“Oh, I want to watch xXx on the weekend, I better start downloading it this thursday.”
Me slightly confused…
If you live in Delhi, you can get a 2 MBPS unlimited connection – have been able to for about 6 months now…granted it’s a little pricey at rs. 3000 / month… but it’s available. I use it – never had a problem with it – and it’s purty fast…
I do not know from where did you got those statistics…just for your info India ranks amongst the best in the world in terms of ICT technology and costs of usage. What India lacks is Broadband penetration.
I used Airtel Broadband in Bangalore and the speed was really good and at such cheap prices 2MBPS unlimited for 2200Rs per.
I lived in Portugal and the speed was good there as well but I really doubt the costs in the graph.
Also now I live in Canada and the Internet here SUCKS. and to inform about the costs … there is not a place in Canada where you can get 1Mbps unlimited for a month at $6.5
Rogers (biggest ISP in Canada) charges $25.99 + Taxes for 500/256Kbps 2 Gb monthly usage.
Check out the link … http://www.rogers.com/web/link/hispeedBrowseFlowDefaultPlans
And do not even try to compare the Prices for mobile broadband or USB Internet Stick in India and Canada.